It seems like every day brings new revelations from the airline industry that unsettle passengers. In keeping with this tradition, a flight attendant has made a surprising claim that is sure to make air travelers think twice before ordering their next in-flight beverage. Adding ice to your drink on an airplane can potentially cause serious illness. This disturbing information, shared in a recent Reddit thread and published by the New York Post, has raised new concerns about in-flight hygiene and passenger health.
Why did the airline staff advise against adding ice to the drinks?
The anonymous flight attendant warned, “Don’t put ice in your drink.” He explained, “The ice is scooped into a bowl and the bowls are not cleaned very often.” This seemingly harmless practice could expose passengers to a variety of harmful bacteria and germs. The reasoning behind this alarming claim is twofold. First, the flight attendant points out the lack of hygiene of the ice bowls. He also highlights the broader problem of hygiene on airplanes.
“Every surface on the plane is touched by hundreds of people every day and is not disinfected often,” the flight attendant explained. “We have no opportunity to wash our hands at all when serving drinks.”
This disturbing information is not just hearsay. Flight attendants have repeatedly reported problems with the thoroughness and frequency of aircraft cleaning. The hasty cleaning between flights is a common cause of complaints. This speed rarely leads to thorough hygiene, but rather to superficial tidying.
How passengers can ensure their safety during the flight
For travelers who just can’t imagine their drink on the plane without ice, experts offer a possible solution. A 2019 study from the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center at the City University of New York found that ordering alcoholic beverages or sodas can help reduce the number of microbes. The study found a “continuous reduction in bacterial risk due to alcohol, CO2, pH and antibacterial ingredients of vodka, whiskey, martini, peach tea, tonic water and cola.”
However, the safest option, according to researchers, is to bring your own water bottles. This recommendation gains weight when you consider the results of the same study. These results show that the drinking water on 11 major and 12 regional airlines may not be safe for human consumption.
